How to verify a Florida plumbing contractor's licence
CFC versus RF, how to use the state lookup, what the status words mean and what the law says about unlicensed plumbing work.
A leaking pipe at 9 p.m. is not the moment to learn that the company you called is not licensed. Florida licenses plumbing contractors at the state level, and a lookup takes about two minutes. Do it before the work starts, even for a small job.
Two kinds of plumbing licence
Chapter 489 of the Florida Statutes creates two kinds of contractor licence. A certified contractor holds a certificate of competency from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) and may contract "in any jurisdiction in the state." A registered contractor qualified in a particular local jurisdiction and "may contract only in such jurisdictions" (section 489.105).
The codes are CFC for a Certified Plumbing Contractor and RF for a Registered Plumbing Contractor. The statute describes a plumbing contractor as one whose services are unlimited in the plumbing trade, covering drainage, venting, water supply and related piping. Both licences are real, but a registered plumber working outside the area where the registration is valid is working outside the licence.
Step by step
- Ask for the number. Florida requires a contractor's registration or certification number to appear in each offer of services, bid, contract and advertisement, in any medium (section 489.119). A company that will not give a number, or whose truck and estimate carry none, has told you something.
- Look it up. Use DBPR's Verify a License page, or search this directory by name, city or county.
- Match the details. The licensee or business name on the record should match the company on your contract, and the licence type should be plumbing.
- Check the status and expiry. You want Current and Active. This directory lists only licences with that status on the day the file was pulled, and shows the expiry date.
- Read any discipline entry in the board's published files, linked from the licensee's profile where one exists.
The qualifying agent
A plumbing company holds its licence through a qualifying agent, the individual responsible for supervising its operations, field work and finances (section 489.1195). The record names that person. Many licensed companies have employees who work under the qualifier's licence. Employees of a licensed contractor, acting within the scope of their employment, are exempt from needing their own contractor licence (section 489.103), so the person at your door does not need a personal licence, but the company does need a valid one.
What the law says about unlicensed plumbing
Acting as a contractor without the required licence is a first-degree misdemeanor for a first offense and a third-degree felony for a repeat offense. During a declared state of emergency, a first offense is also a third-degree felony (section 489.127). A contract made by an unlicensed contractor cannot be enforced by that contractor, and the unlicensed contractor cannot claim a lien for the work (section 489.128). That protects you in a dispute, but it does not repair a burst pipe or a failed inspection. Verify first.
Licensed does not mean insured
The licence shows the state qualified the contractor. It does not show liability insurance or workers' compensation coverage. Ask for a certificate of insurance naming you, and call the insurer to confirm it is current. If a worker is injured in your home and the company has no coverage, the dispute can reach you.
Why a name search can miss
Companies often trade under a name that differs from the licence record, and some plumbers work under a family member's qualifying licence. If a plumber is not in this directory, search DBPR by licence number rather than assume anything. This site shows only positive records: it never says a business is unlicensed.
General information only, current as of the date above. The information on Florida Plumber Check is not a recommendation or a guarantee of anyone's work. A licence record shows registration status on the date shown, not workmanship, insurance coverage at the time of your job, or suitability for your project. Confirm licence, insurance and permits directly before you hire. Rules and programs change; check the official sources linked in this guide.